EARNING A LIVING - A brief history of the economy of Western & South Western Sydney

Introduction
New South Wales was primarily settled as a penal colony however the British Government had aspirations the colony would become self sufficient. It was even thought that some products such as flax & timber may be exported. Eventually the colony was able to produce a satisfactory food supply. The settlement expanded although it was originally concentrated around Sydney and the Cumberland Plains, and the population very slowly increased.

Free settlers and assisted passengers were persuaded to settle and increased numbers of convicts arrived. Private enterprise began to emerge and industrious colonists looked for various opportunities in the colony. Western Sydney had the advantage of being close to Sydney and the markets as well as connected via road and in some cases, by river. Commercial and trading ventures were set up, shops established, small businesses and manufacturing (mainly agricultural related) commenced.